Truck for moving houses



1N0 Model;)

B. W. WHITEHEAD.

TRUCK FOR MOVING HOUSES.

No. 327,632. Patented Oct. 6, 1885.

rrnn STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDlVARD XVRIGHT W'HITEHEAD, OF ST. JOSEPH, MISSOURI.

TRUCK FOR MOVING HOUSES.

SPECKFECATIQN forming part of Letters Patent No. 327,632, dated October 6, 1885.

Application filed July 30, 1885. Serial X0. 173,029.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD W. VVHITE- HEAD, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Joseph, in the county of Buchanan and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in House-Moving Trucks; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making a part of this specification, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a perspective view of my invention; Fig. 2, a side elevation thereof, partly in section; and Fig. 3, an under side perspective View in detail of the bolster.

The present invention has for its object to provide a simple, practical, and easily-operated truck especially designed for moving houses and heavy weights of all kindssuch as boilers, machinery, safes, blocks of stone, and other heavy bodies; and it consists in the several details of construction, substantially as shown in the drawings, and hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, A represents the truck-wheels, loosely mounted on the axle a, to which are suitably connected by clips I) the elliptic springs B, the upper portion of said springs being attached to the under side of a sand-board, O.

The elliptic springs B have each a spiral spring, D, the lower ends thereof resting on supports 0, which are connected to the axle a by the clips I). These spiral springs are arranged in an upright position between the up per and lower sections of the elliptic springs and on the same vertical plane, thereby giving strength and firmness to said springs against the heavy pressure on the truck, and

at the same time enabling them to act in the capacity of the usual vehicle-spring.

Pivoted to the sandboard (J is the bolster E, upon which the house or other heavy weight is supported, and upon its under side is provided with friction wheels or rollers d, which bear upon the upper side of the sand-board O. The ends of the bolster are provided with grooved pulleys 6, arranged at an acute angle to the plane thereof, and over which pass flexible stays f, consisting, preferably, of chains,

(No model.)

as shown. These chains. after passing around the pulleys, cross, as shown, and the ends attached to hooks on the supports 0; or, if de- 5 5 sired, the ends may be made fast to the axle or any stationary object. I have shown two chains, one passing around each of the grooved pulleys; but, if preferred, only one may be used, as found necessary, the object thereof being to keep the truck in position should it strike an obstruction--sueh as a rock-while the truck is in'motion.

A center wheel, F, loosely mounted on the axle a between the springs B, is employed in 6 case of necessity, should one of the larger wheels A get in a hole or 011 low ground, a piece of timber being placed under the center wheel, thus allowing the building to move without interruption or delay.

The sill of building is placed horizontally on bolster of the truck and made secure, and when it is desired to give any required angle to the truck in moving the building I provide one or both ends of the sand-board C with a 7 5 register, 9, with numerals from 1 to 5 upon each side thereof.

To the extremities of the axle a are loosely connected the hounds h, which in turn are suitablyfastenedtothetongue G. Thistongue s has secured to its outer end, at both top and bottom, slotted plates 1', and between these plates is located a block, H, which is both pivoted and adjustable by means of the bolts or pins 70, projecting from the upper andlower side of the block, and entering the slots in the plates 2'. This manner of supporting the block will admit of a sidewise movement on the arc of a circle, and also a movement in a straight line, or in a direction longitudinally with the 0 slots in the plates, to adapt the clamping device, hereinafter described, to the angle of the truck.

The block H has a screw threaded hole through it, and passing through this hole is 5 an adj usting screw-threaded rod, Z, connected to the bent ends of a longitudinally-slotted bracket, 1, in such manner as to admit of the rod turning in its bearing by means of asuitable handle, at, attached to one end of the rod. By turning the rod Z the block H will move along the same to either the right or left and bring the truck to the desired angle.

The bracket I passes through a slotted hanger, K, the latter having a set-screw, n, so that the bracket when moved to either the right or left may be held in its adjusted position by means of said screw. The hanger K is pivoted to the under side of a clamping device, which consists of a toothed plate, L, and plate 1), the latter constructed to embrace the former-mentioned plate, and having a pawl,q to engage with the teeth thereon. One end of each of these plates L p is bent upwardly, as shown at r, the bent end of the plate having a clampingscrew, s, by which means the clamping device is securely fastened to the sill of the building.

When it is desired to give the required angle to the truck in turning corners, or where it is found necessary to move the building at an angle to the former line of draft, by turn ing the screw-rod Z the truck is turned to either the right or left the necessary degree to register with any one of the numerals or degrees on the register 9.

Planks M may be used, if found desirable, for the wheels to run on.

It should be understood that in moving houses several of these trucks are used, according to the size of the house, and when once set under the building they remain until the building is moved to its destination, thetrucks running either backward or forward, a rope of course being fastened to the building and operated by horsepower or steam-power with capstan.

Having now fully described my invention,

what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a truck, the combination, with a sandboard supported thereby, of a bolster pivoted to the sand-board, and one or more flexible stays passing around grooved pulleys connected to the bolster and their ends attached to the axle of the truck or other fixed object, substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. The combination, with a truck, of the hounds and tongue, the latter provided with a swiveled block, a feeding or adjusting screw passing through the same and having its bearings in a bracket, and a clamping device connected thereto, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. A truck provided with elliptic springs and upright spiral springs located between the sections thereof, a sand-board and bolster, and flexible stays extending around grooved pulleys on the bolster and attached to-the axle, in combination with a feeding or adjusting screw passing through a swiveled block, av

bracket to form bearings for the screw, and a clamping device adjustably connected to the bracket, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

In testimony that I claim the above I have hereunto subscribed my name in the presence of two witnesses.

EDWARD WRIGHT WHITEHEAD.

WVitnesses:

T. M. SMITH, WILLIAM H. QUIGLEY. 

